Lesbian Visibility Week
Photo courtesy of Lucas Werkmeister / Wikimedia Commons
Lesbian Visibility Week is from Apr. 21 to Apr. 27, celebrating the power of sisterhood by uplifting incredible LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people from every generation, in every field, and every country around the world; “one community, so many brilliant individuals,” according to lesbianvisibilityweek.com.
According to PinkNews, the theme for the 2025 Lesbian Visibility Week is “Celebrating Rainbow Families,” a global campaign to spotlight LGBTQIA+ people’s families and give them a platform to be understood and appreciated.
The week is typically celebrated in the United States, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia, but has grown globally in recent years. According to seattlepride.org, the first Lesbian Visibility Week was celebrated “in the early ‘90s out of lesbians’ frustrations with how queer men were more represented, with the intent to gain awareness and sociopolitical capital. Whether in science, art, politics, sports, or history, lesbians have always played an important part in history.”
This week is important for numerous reasons, including the awareness, visibility, and allyship it promotes within the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, lgbtgreat.com emphasizes more reasons why this week matters: “Lesbian women and non-binary people exist at an intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity that can sometimes be overlooked. Lesbian women and non-binary people are typically less visible than gay men in LGBT+ employee networks overall. The lack of visibility is a barrier to attracting more LGBT+ women into our industry and to our existing talent feeling able to be ‘out’ within the workplace. McKinsey found that 23 [percent] of lesbians at work reported feeling that they could not talk about their lives outside of work, compared to only 10 [percent] of women overall.”
Furthermore, numerous events are happening worldwide to celebrate this week. For instance, in the UK, PinkNews states that celebrations will begin on Apr. 22 “with a reception at the House of Commons, to highlight the barriers LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people still face when starting and continuing families. Entrance is by invitation only.” Then, on Apr. 23, Diva magazine will publish “its Power List 2025 in The Guardian, which will focus on the achievements of women.”
The LGBTQIA+ community at SUNY Geneseo also highlights the importance of this week and LGBTQIA+ visibility in general. On the @geneseolgbtqia Instagram page, they posted, “April is now Gaypril,” and added, “The LGBTQ+ Life Office is collaborating with the Asian Studies Department to celebrate queer and AANHPI identities all month! There are events happening throughout the month to celebrate, and we hope to see you at them!”
These events on Geneseo’s campus are all made possible by the Office of LGBTQ+ Life. On Geneseo’s website, they state: “LGBTQ+ Life at SUNY Geneseo supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual students. Through collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, LGBTQ+ Life develops and implements programs and resources to affirm an individual's many identities. This includes a/sexuality, a/gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, ability, class, and religion.”
Students looking to get more involved in creating events for, talking about, and meeting more LGBTQIA+ community members and their allies might also be interested in checking out the club Pride Alliance. Updates and information on how to get involved can be found on their Instagram page @prideatgeneseo, and they meet weekly from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the MacVittie College Union’s Fireside Lounge.
It is crucial in all environments that individuals— whether identifying with the LGBTQIA+ community or as allies —feel safe and welcomed. Lesbian Visibility Week is celebrated to ensure these individuals feel seen, heard, and embraced.